Driving ideas

What will move people tomorrow

Former German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt once famously quipped that people with visions should go and see a doctor. However, we feel that visions are vital for rising to the challenges of the modern world. With this in mind, the Volkswagen Group has chosen the slogan “Driving ideas.” for its quest to find pioneering yet practicable answers to the mobility questions of today and tomorrow. We see it as our responsibility to ensure that future generations will have the same high quality of life.

Needless to say, the ideas and actions of Europe’s largest vehicle producer focus squarely on automobiles. However, the Volkswagen Group is aiming higher: under the slogan “Driving ideas.”, the global company and its eight brands are taking the challenges of the future head on – with their sights set far beyond the scope of automobile manufacturing alone.

Technology, environment and people are the main areas that will determine future mobility. Striking an acceptable balance between individual mobility needs, environmental demands and economic expectations is no mean feat. With its “Driving ideas.” initiative, the Volkswagen Group is endeavoring to harmonize these seemingly conflicting goals.

After all, for a company like Volkswagen, economic success is based on how its ecological and social responsibility is perceived. This view is shared by more and more customers – but also shareholders and employees around the globe – and “sustainability” is now the watchword for corporate management.

“Driving ideas.” – developing and testing a constant stream of new concepts, but in such a way that future users will already be able to experience the benefits of innovative technology today. For example, last year’s “Urban Challenge 2007” in the USA featured computer-controlled robot cars capable of maneuvering through 100 kilometers of simulated city traffic without a human driver at the wheel. Three years after Touareg prototype “Stanley” was first past the finishing line of a similar race, the Volkswagen Passat known as “Junior” – which was equipped with intelligent software, laser and radar technology – finished in a still-impressive second place.

Although it will still be some time before self-driving cars such as these become a regular feature on our roads, Volkswagen Group customers are already enjoying the benefits of driver assistance systems such as Adaptive Cruise Control or Park Assist. These series products are a tribute to our forward-looking approach and willingness to explore new avenues.

“DRIVING IDEAS.” – THE MOBILITY AGENDA

“Driving ideas.” is the mobility agenda of the Volkswagen Group as a whole, demonstrating what our Company is capable of. Superior technology helps to make people more at one with their environment, as it fulfils mobility requirements safely and conveniently, while at the same time respecting ecological requirements. People have always been the main focus of Volkswagen’s innovative engineering; the Group has an excellent track record of serving customers and society alike, and its responsibility is based first and foremost on sustainable activities.

Innovation, performance and responsibility – the eight brands of the Volkswagen Group are committed to these values, as can be seen from our 2007 Annual Report. The wide spectrum covered by this alliance of brands – inexpensive family-friendly cars, luxury saloons, spectacular sports cars and reliable commercial vehicles in a single Group – offers extensive synergy potential that will be leveraged to even greater effect in the future. It is the sheer diversity of the brands that encourages the even greater common efforts to assume a pioneering role in automotive manufacturing worldwide. However, anyone who builds cars with the same passion as the 329,000 employees of the Volkswagen Group knows only too well that customers must also be enthusiastic about the design of an automobile and how much fun it is to drive.

Financial targets are equally ambitious: for example, the Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand aims to increase its unit sales by over 80 percent to 6.6 million vehicles by 2018, thereby reaching a global market share of approximately 9 percent. To make it one of the most profitable automobile companies as well, it is aiming for an ROI of 21 percent and a return on sales before tax of 9 percent. To achieve this, it will be crucial to establish the Group as an outstanding employer, allowing it to attract the best specialist employees and to provide them with further training opportunities – because real “Driving ideas.” only stem from exceptionally trained and highly motivated employees.

Alternative energies, intelligent traffic concepts, air pollution control and recycling are just some of the forward-looking issues to which the Volkswagen Group’s “Driving ideas.” are geared. One thing all of them have in common is their commitment to serving motorists, the environment and the need for mobility. The first steps have been very promising: with the breakthrough of the second generation of biofuels known as “SunFuel”, the era of non-fossil fuels has now arrived. Together with expert partners, the Volkswagen Group is driving forward applied research in this field. The future lies in switching over to renewable energy and raw materials, and an encouraging start has been made with SunFuel, a fuel that is made from biomass, harnesses energy from the sun and is not produced at the expense of food. Solar-powered cars are becoming an increasingly viable prospect. The Group is busy helping to shape this future – a future in which traffic congestion may not be entirely a thing of the past. However, technology will render traffic jams safer and less stressful than they are today – allowing drivers to make more effective use of there time: reading, writing, planning or simply daydreaming while the car negotiates the bottleneck on its own. For the Volkswagen Group and its employees, this is more than just a vision – it is the goal of their everyday work.

	MAURO ANDRADE, HEAD OF GENUINE PARTS AND ACCESSORIES AT VOLKSWAGEN COMMERCIAL VEHICLES, BRAZIL „I believe in our power and ability to make dreams come true. At Volkswagen, I learnt that those who work with outstanding commitment are capable of transcending boundaries. I am very proud to have been part of it all.“
	BONGIKOSI QWESHA, APPRENTICE AT VOLKSWAGEN, SOUTH AFRICA „Winning the “Best Apprentice 2007” award changed my life. When I think of Volkswagen, I see great things ahead – including my further training and future career.“
	LISA MA, EVENT MANAGER AT AUDI, CHINA „Audi was very successful in China in 2007. We face new challenges every day. Needless to say, I am very much looking forward to the most exciting and important event of this year: the Olympic Games in China. Welcome to Beijing!“
	IVAN COTTI, TECHNICIAN IN THE BODY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT AT LAMBORGHINI, ITALY „I have been with Lamborghini since 1989, and am very proud to work in the development department of this unique Italian brand. For me, being involved in all development stages of the Reventón model was like a fantastic journey – a challenge and a reward at the same time.“
	RAPHAEL GIOVANNI AMBROSIO, TRAINEE AT SEAT, SPAIN „For me, being a trainee team member at SEAT meant the chance to set out on an international career – and to help shape the future goals of the company through my efforts.“